The invention relates generally to coking methods. Of particular interest to the invention are methods of operating coke ovens or batteries of coke ovens.
One of the methods used in the past for the coking of coal consists in continuously supplying a predetermined quantity of heat to the coking chambers during the coking period.
In order to save on the heating costs involved in this classical heating method, it has further become known to coke coal by supplying large quantities of heat through the heating flues during the earlier stages of the coking period and to gradually reduce the heat supply to the coking chambers towards the end of the coking period. In this manner, a savings in heat of about 10 percent may be achieved as opposed to the classical heating method which operates with a constant heat supply. At the same time, a reduction in the coking period is realized due to the extremely high temperatures which exist in the heating flues during the earlier stages of the coking period. The shortened coking period, in turn, permits a higher throughput capacity to be obtained for the individual ovens of a coke oven battery.
The gradual reduction in the heat supplied to the heating flues may be effected with reasonable precision by using an appropriate regulating device in conjunction with a suitable programming technique. This regulating device must be effective for providing good control of the values leading to the heating flues.
Although it is true that a gradual reduction in the heat supply towards the end of the coking period makes it possible to achieve savings in heat, this procedure is nevertheless not completely reliable as regards the satisfactory attainment of this goal. Thus, improvements in the state of the art are desirable.